N E O Chapter 5: Catastrophe By: The Green Gibbon! The sun rises over the desert horizon, accenting the landscape with an orange hue. We find our group walking down the desert highway. Spam is single-handedly carrying the Gibbon-Mobile over his head; the others are walking alongside. GG!: 'Here we are, in a desert, on a road. This reminds me of the Desert Road Zone.' BO: 'Does anything NOT remind you of a Sonic Zone?' GG!: 'Oh sure, that's not the only desert level in existence. Remember that damn desert challenge at the end of Breath of Fire III? Took me an entire day of playing to get through that stupid thing. And then there was the Corel desert around the Gold Saucer in Final Fantasy VII...they had Cactrots there, and you got alot of money from killing them. Wolf's arena in Virtua Fighter 3 is a desert, and do you remember the whole godforsaken Desert World in Super Mario Brothers 3? I usually just used the Whistle in level 1 and skipped straight to Giant World. And then there are more desert Zones than just the Desert Road. They have the Sandopolis and the Yellow Desert Zones as well. Are you guys listening to me? I'm not finished yet.' Gibbon, at the rear of the group, glances ahead at everyone. No response, the others walk steadily forward. GG!: 'If we walk after the sun comes out, we'll fry.' BO: 'There we go! I didn't think we'd parked this far off.' Bo points to a truck on the side of the road in the distance. MOON: 'Why park so far out?' BO: 'We didn't want our headlights to be seen...I was actually driving without them most of the time.' GG!: 'You know, I've got alot of questions about that.' BO: 'Let's latch this beetle onto my truck first. We can tow it down to the next gas station and play twenty questions on the way.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Eternal Gamer looks at the scene around him. Darkness as far as the eye can see. Just one minute ago, he was on a private EON plane headed for EON headquarters in Tokyo...until he decided to have a peek at the NEO Crystal... EG: 'Oh crap.' A bright red light glows in the distance. It moves closer, forming a distinct word. EG: 'What's that say? Acne? Atlas? Arcane?' EG's eyes widen in fear. EG: 'No...NO! It's...ACCLAIM! Yaaahahaha!' The large 'Acclaim' logo blocks escape from one side. EG spins around to run away, but hits something big and hard. He falls on his back, and glancing up, sees the object that he hit. It appears to be the Incredible Hulk, holding a copy of his PlayStation game. HULK: 'There's no escape, Gamer! Play my game! Mwahahaha!' EG: 'AAAAHHHH!' Scrambling to his feet, EG turns to the side only to see Bubsy and the complete Mortal Kombat cast closing in on him...holding a copy of every FMV game ever made. EG: 'NNNOOO!' Turning around to the only available exit, EG runs as fast as his legs will carry him away from the horde of all symbols commonly associated with crappy games. He doesn't know his progress, because he doesn't look back. Soon, he is once again surrounded by darkness, when a low, echoing laugh can be heard. EG: 'Who's there?!' No answer. EG: 'What's going on?!' EG turns around to see a purple-colored Tails look-alike looming above him. The Gibbon-opposite is roughly 30 feet high. EG: 'Purple Baboon!' The Purple Baboon takes out two wooden sticks, and begins moving them about as though he were controlling a marionette. EG's left arm moves upward by itself. EG: 'Huh?' His right arm does the same. His legs begin moving, and the next thing he knows he's dancing, completely out of his own control. EG: 'What's happening to me?!' Looking up, EG sees the Purple Baboon laughing hysterically. PB: 'You are...my puppet!' EG: 'NO! Let me go! LET ME GO!' EG struggles, but cannot regain control of his body. PB: 'My puppet! Puppet!' EG: 'NNNOOO!' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Back in the desert, Spam drives Bo's truck with the Gibbon-Mobile being towed in the back. All of the others sit in the back of the truck. GG!: 'Okay, question number 1. What the HELL were you doing out here when I left you to watch Driftaway Studios, Bo?' BO: 'Did you really expect me to stay behind? I decided I was going to follow you even before you left.' GG!: 'So what about the Studio?!' BO: 'Don't have a coronary, I locked the doors before I left...' GG!: 'And what of Mart, here? How is it he got involved in all of this?' BO: 'Maybe he'd like to explain that himself.' Bo glances over at Mart, who nods in approval. MART: 'After you and your friend there-' Mart motions toward Moon. MOON: '*ahem* The name is Moon.' MART: 'Right, sorry. After you and Moon left the park bench, I followed the two of you back to Driftaway Studios.' GG!: 'You were following us?' MART: 'Yes, well... Actually, I was going to mug you.' Gibbon and Moon glare in surpise at Mart. MART: 'Yah, I'm a petty thief. I'm getting to that...' MOON: 'I would hope so!' MART: 'But while lurking behind, I overheard you talking about this 'NEO Crystal' and that sort of business there. I decided to follow you a bit longer...I think I've picked up the whole story.' GG!: 'But how did you get here with Bo?' MART: 'Hey, I said don't rush me! Okay, so I hung around outside the building, when I saw you drive off in that crazy green car there.' Mart motions to the Gibbon-Mobile trailing behind the truck. GG!: 'Just what's so crazy about it?' MART: 'Well, I figured from there, there was no hope of catching up with you. Until I saw Bo here walking to his truck.' BO: 'So he pulled a knife on me.' Bo and Mart laugh out loud while Gibbon and Moon stare at them. MOON: 'You're scaring me.' Mart pulls out a Swiss army knife and releases one of the blades. MART: 'With this old thing; it couldn't cut butter by now. So anyway, I told him to follow the crazy green car and he agreed. As soon as I stepped inside his truck-' BO: 'I pulled a gun on him.' The two start laughing again. GG!: 'Sleep deprivation has been harming us all.' MART: 'So then there I am with this knife at his throat, and him with that gun at my head. Let me tell you, I never saw anything so ridiculous! Hehehe, but anyway...there we discovered something we both had in common.' MOON: 'What?' Bo and Mart glance at each other. BO: 'It's not something we can talk about right now, we'll tell you at a better time.' Gibbon and Moon glance at each other. GG!: 'Are you gay?' Bo and Mart glance at each other again. BO: 'Uh...no.' MART: 'Not exactly.' Moon jabs Gibbon in the arm. MOON: 'That was rude!' GG!: 'What?! I just wanted to know!' MOON: 'So, you two know each other?' BO: 'Hm...something like that.' Gibbon looks at Mart. GG!: 'That still doesn't explain your interest in this whole mess.' MART: 'It's just what I was looking for, in a two-fold way.' GG!: 'Meaning?' MART: 'Well...my story starts with my father.' GG!: 'Oh fine, a sob story. Change the channel.' BO: 'Double G, shutup and listen.' GG!: 'Fine.' MART: 'Born into a wealthy family, I lived alone with my father. I was told my mother died of illness when I was too young to know her. I was also told my family's wealth came from my father's entrepreneurial ideas and strong business sense. I grew up with great pride in my him...I wanted to be just like Dad. And then...' Mart clenches his hands into fists and narrows his eyes. MART: 'And then I discovered the truth.' MOON: 'The truth?' MART: 'Just six months ago, my home was attacked by a police raid. My father was arrested...and I discovered... He was the ringleader of a massive underground drug-smuggling organization. That's where the wealth came from. I was devastated, and ran way in the commotion.' MOON: 'That's terrible! What about your mother?' MART: 'I never found out what really happened to her, but I have reason to believe my father killed her.' GG!: 'Ooh, drugs, violence, and murder! Wish I had some popcorn...' MART: 'I made a major decision during the following six months, which has led me to where I am today. Wandering the streets in search of two things...and I found them both when I met you on the bench.' Gibbon and Moon gaze quizically at Mart. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- EG: 'NNNOOO!' ZERO: 'That's ENOUGH, you coward!' Eternal Gamer opens his eyes. He is back in the EON plane, on hands and knees. He looks up to see Zero right in front of him, holding the NEO Crystal. ZERO: 'Didn't I tell you not to remove the Crystal from this cloth?!' EG gets up and rubs his brow. Zero glares at the Crystal, which is wrapped back in its protective cloth. ZERO: 'I've waited far too long...he's losing his patience.' EG: 'What are you saying? What do you know about the Crystal?' Zero doesn't answer but looks him straight in the eyes. She snaps her fingers, and the Cow Blade appears beside her, floating in mid-air. EG: 'Agh!' EG cringes and begins breathing heavily. Zero narrows her eyes. Eternal Gamer looks back up at her, a red glow flaring from his eyes. EG: 'I will NOT be controlled any longer!' He reaches for the sword, which disappears instantly. After missing his target, EG backs down and returns to normal. ZERO: 'Hm...as I suspected.' EG: 'You're not working for EON, are you?' ZERO: 'EON is working for me. They just don't know it.' EG: 'What of the Crystal?' ZERO: 'That's coming with me from here on.' EG: 'What am I supposed to do from here?' ZERO: 'You join the pilot.' EG: 'The pilot?' He glances toward the cockpit, where he notices blood leaking out from under the door. EG: 'What-' Before he can finish, Zero vanishes. She appears outside the plane, a good distance from it. She points toward the craft, which explodes in seconds. ZERO: 'Another possible hurdle eliminated.' Zero places her hand on her chest at the spot she was skewered earlier. ZERO: 'I thought I was strong enough, but I didn't fully heed my father's warnings. I must now go into recovery; I can't take advantage of my powers while I'm injured.' Zero watches the debris from the plane fall into the ocean, then she disappears. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Spam finishes filling the Gibbon-Mobile with gas, while the others, looking extremely exasperated, try to ignore Gibbon. GG!: 'And another thing...why do you holler out spell names like that? Is that REALLY necessary? And Bo, what about Phat Boy and Spot? Who's supposed to be feeding them while we're out here gallavanting in the Desert Road Zone? Hey Mart, can that knife cut butter if it's been softened? And Moon...what are your measurements?' Moon's left eyebrow convulses a few times, then she reacts by giving Gibbon a clear belt in the face. He falls over to the ground, while Mart and Bo begin cheering. Gibbon lifts his head up and looks angrily at his cheering comrades. GG!: 'Yah, laugh it up Tweedle Dee and Tweedle Dum!' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Zero sits upon a simplistic throne in a darkened, metallic room. The throne is bland and empty except for an elaborate decoration on top, of which the NEO Crystal is the centerpiece. Zero sits in a thoughtful position as she examines the Cow Blade, which floats in the air in front of her. There is a white glow around the sword. Zero snaps her fingers and the sword hovers into one of six spheres surrounding the throne. In four of the other spheres are, individually: a futuristic-looking handgun, a spiked glove, a rough whip, and a set of diamond throwing stars. The sixth sphere is empty. At that moment, a figure walks into the darkened room and bows before Zero. ZERO: 'Nevermind that now.' The figure nods as a female voice responds: VOICE: 'Is the 'Cow Blade' its true name?' ZERO: 'Oh, c'mon. This is the 'Vengeance Blade'.' VOICE: 'Where did the title 'Cow Blade' originate?' ZERO: 'It's a mock-up name devised by Green Gibbon! to mask the sword's true power. Each of these weapons has similar titles.' The spheres rotate counter-clockwise, putting the futuristic handgun in the front. Zero points to it. ZERO: 'This one is called the 'Spam Cannon'. Its true name is the 'Crosswind Sniper'.' The spheres rotate, moving the spiked glove to the front. ZERO: 'Jane's Illegal Fist...in reality, the 'Talon Wrist'.' The spheres rotate the rough whip to the front. ZERO: '*ahem* Honey's Naughty Whip.' The figure on the other side of the room raises an eyebrow. ZERO: 'This Gibbon freak's a real horn dog.' VOICE: 'Apparently.' ZERO: 'Otherwise known as the 'Gale Sting'.' The final sphere circles forth. VOICE: 'And the Chicken Sauce Stars...' ZERO: 'Hm...the 'Crystal Phantoms'.' The sphere around the diamond throwing stars fades. The stars hover down to the dark figure, then begin glowing. The figure's eyes flash. ZERO: 'You know what to do with these.' VOICE: 'Yes...' ZERO: 'I can see you're eager to absorb the power...go ahead.' VOICE: 'Thank you, Zero-sama.' ZERO: 'Sama? I guess I'm Japanese now...' The figure eagerly grabs the Crystal Phantom stars. A bright aura surrounds her body. Zero smirks, then looks at the empty sphere. ZERO: 'Get me the Destiny Staff...it will be known as the 'Veal Cane'.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moon places the long, wooden staff on the table. Gibbon and Spam gasp in disbelief. They're back in the Driftaway Studios lobby, although Bo and Mart are not with them. GG!: 'It can't...' SPAM: 'It's a fake!' GG!: 'No, it's the real deal!' Moon gazes oddly at them. Gibbon grasps the staff. GG!: 'Where did you get this?!' MOON: 'Hey, be careful! A friend of mine gave it to me a long time ago, give it back!' GG!: 'Do you have any idea-' SPAM: 'It's still under its protective coat...' Gibbon looks down at the staff, then sighs and hands it back to Moon. GG!: 'What made you decide that would be a good thing to bring along?' MOON: 'I don't really know...it's been sitting around in the back of my closet for years. But just when I was finished packing and was about to leave, I got this strong feeling that I should take it.' GG!: 'Spiffy-dandy, more psycho psychic nonsense.' SPAM: 'As long as this is in our possession, she can't have them all...' MOON: 'What are you two talking about? How do you know this staff?' Gibbon and Spam smile sheepishly. GG!: 'Uh...coincidence?' SPAM: 'Wild guesses?' GG!: 'We're crazy, you know!' SPAM: 'Yeah, we're probably just babbling nonsense!' GG!: 'Hey Spam, how 'bout that uncanny printer with the hearing problem?!' SPAM: 'Yah, it sounds like corn!' Gibbon and Spam begin laughing insanely. Moon gazes at them with an expression that's part wonder, part fear, part disgust, and uh...part something else... At that moment, Bo and Mart enter the building. GG!: 'Oh good, I was beginning to worry you might traitor on me, too.' MART: 'All set. Good ol' WB was able to get me a big discount on the tickets!' GG!: 'Tickets?' MART: 'Yeah, how else did you expect to get on the jet? In the baggage compartment?' GG!: 'Jet?! As in a passenger jet? You mean we're going through a commercial airline?!' SPAM: 'It's the only way to fly!' Gibbon whacks Spam upside the head without taking his eyes off Mart. MART: 'Did you want to go by boat?' GG!: 'Gee...I kinda thought we'd have our own private plane or something...' MART: 'This ain't the movies, Gibbers.' BO: 'May I suggest we stop wasting time?' GG!: 'They'd better have a damn good in-flight movie...' The others begin heading for the door, but Moon holds her ground. GG!: 'What are you waiting for? Planning to swim?' Moon shakes her head. MOON: 'I- I don't think we should go by this plane...' MART: 'Why not? You scared of flying?' MOON: 'No, that's not it. I've got an odd feeling about it, and I'm not usually wrong about these things.' MART: 'Woman's intuition?' GG!: 'No, she's a psycho.' MOON: 'Psychic.' GG!: 'That too.' BO: 'Should we wait for another opportunity?' MART: 'I don't know, my friend did this for me as a favor, and I really don't believe all this sixth sense crap.' GG!: 'We have to risk it one way or the other...we need to get there before Zero can unleash the power within the NEO Crystal.' MOON: 'Yes, but-' GG!: 'We have no choice, you can stay if you want to.' Moon hesitates, then grabs her luggage. MOON: 'No, I'll come...but...' SPAM: 'But what?' MOON: 'Nothing, I guess I'm just being paranoid.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Moon sits in a window seat, as Bo prepares to sit in the accompanying chair. Gibbon grabs his arm and yanks him back. BO: 'Ow...' GG!: 'Beat it pal, I'm hawkin' this side of the street.' Bo clears his throat and moves into the seat next to Mart on the other side of the aisle. Gibbon hops into his chair and attempts to act sensible. Moon ignores him and takes out a magazine. At that moment, the 'buckle' sign in the front flashes as a voice blares out over the intercom system. VOICE: 'This is your pilot, WB speaking! Please buckle your safety belts, not like they're going to do you any good if we crash. Actually, they'll just hinder your escape, but I'm supposed to tell you to buckle 'em anyway!' Large, anime beads of sweat appear on everyone's heads. WB: 'Remember that if you gotta puke, use your barf bag and attempt not to hurl on the passenger sitting in front of you! It's a real mess, you know what I'm saying?' Everyone in the plane nervously glances at the person sitting behind them. WB: 'In the event of an emergency, like say, one of the engines blows to Kingdom Come, these crazy oxygen masks will fall from the compartments above you! If that happens, you'd better grab on and breathe deeply! Not like it'll matter, because if an emergency like THAT happens, you're going to end up in the same place whether you're breathing into an oxygen mask or not! Hahaha!' Larger beads of anime sweat appear over every passenger's head. WB: 'But don't worry, 'cause I'm your pilot! All of your lives are in the hands of the WB!' Largest beads of anime sweat appear over every passenger's head. WB: 'This is gonna taste like chicken!' Gibbon, clasping tightly to his seat, nervously glances over to Martin. GG!: 'Mart...how long did you say you've known this 'WB' guy?' MART: 'Not long enough...' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- A bit later, the plane is well on its westward journey to the Land of the Rising Sun, as Gibbon stretches and yawns. GG!: 'Man, it's dull in here.' Glancing down at the cup of cola he's drinking, an evil grin crosses his face. He then deliberately knocks the drink onto the aisle. GG!: 'Oops, silly me! I seem to have spilled my drink...' At this point, Moon looks away from her gaze outside the window. MOON: 'Hey...you did that on purpose.' GG!: 'Of course!' MOON: 'What for?' GG!: 'You'll see...' At that moment, a sexy, green-haired anime stewardess walks up with a sponge. (Hey, this is MY story, okay? I'll slap in all the gratuitous anime babes I want...) STEWARDESS: 'No problem, sir, I'll have that cleaned right up!' The stewardess then bends over and commences to scrub the stain. Gibbon takes advantage of the situation by enjoying a long peer down her collar, which is well-distanced from her neckline by fairly obvious means. As a stream of drool begins flowing from Gibbon's open mouth, Moon mumbles something and gives him a sharp elbow-jab to the gut. GG!: 'Kutsuuu! What'd you do that for?' MOON: 'Hentai children get what they have coming.' GG!: 'That sounded dirty.' STEWARDESS: 'If there's anything else I can get you, just ask for 'Fresca'. I'll be happy to help!' With that, she smiles politely and walks off. Gibbon is drooling again with a very distant look in his eyes. GG!: 'Be still, my heart!' Moon, frowning, gives him a direct backhand to the face, and smiles afterward. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Several hours later, darkness has fallen as the jet continues its passage over the Pacific ocean. Inside, most of the passengers are asleep except for Mart and Bo, who are chatting. Spam, who takes up two seats on his own, is sitting with his head on the chairs and his feet in the air. Gibbon, snoring loudly and drooling, tightly hugs the Honey doll he brought along. Moon, apparently having read herself to sleep, sits with her glasses still on and the magazine on her lap. At that moment, she opens her eyes and takes a quick breath, awakening with a start. Mart and Bo glance over as Moon looks around the plane. BO: 'Something wrong?' MOON: 'I had a vision...' BO: 'A dream, you mean?' MOON: 'No, I was only half-asleep. But I'm certain I saw this plane falling into the ocean.' Mart and Bo exchange glances as Moon gives them a serious look. MOON: 'This plane is going to crash.' MART: 'Are you sure?' GG!: 'Zzz...Honey, I believe that's a spider crawling down your armor. Allow me to get it out...zzz...' The three stop to glance at the sleeping Gibbon as a smile crosses his face. Moon stomps on his foot, of course waking him instantly. GG!: 'I studied last night!' MOON: 'Snap out of it, everyone on this plane is in real danger!' GG!: 'Huh? Didn't they already serve the meals?' Moon responds to this by whacking Gibbon upside the head. GG!: 'Ow! Well didn't they?' BO: 'Gibbs, Moon had a vision. This may be a doomed flight.' GG!: 'The in-flight movie is Pocahontas?' MOON: 'We're going to crash into the ocean! Everyone on this jet is in serious trouble, and that includes us.' GG!: 'Oh my god, there's only one thing we can do.' MOON: 'What?' GG!: 'Emergency swimming lessons. NOW.' Moon whacks Gibbon upside the head again, then leaps from her seat. BO: 'Where are you going?' MOON: 'I've got to warn the pilots...maybe they can do something before anything happens.' At that moment, Mart gets up as well. MART: 'They won't let you in the cockpit, I'll go.' BO: 'Will they let YOU in?' MART: 'WB'll know me.' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Entering the cockpit, Mart walks over to WB, who is the only pilot in the room at the moment. He is sitting perfectly straight, eyes wide open. A cup of coffee is set near him. MART: 'WB?' WB jerks around, nearly knocking the coffee over. WB: 'I was awake! I was awake!' MART: 'Just came up to say thanks again for the tickets.' WB: 'Oh sure, no problem!' Mart looks out through the front window. The moon and stars shine as brilliantly as possible miles away from any city lights. Reflected on the surface of the relatively calm ocean below, the light almost makes those from the jet seem pointless. MART: 'Did they ever discover the cause of the first crash?' WB jerks slightly, as though Mart had hit upon an uncomfortable subject. He narrows his eyes and looks down at the complicated controls. WB: 'Yeah...' MART: 'Well?' WB: 'It wasn't an engine failure or a sabotage job...it was a fault on my part.' MART: 'How do they know that?' WB: 'How do I know? They make the rules, there's nothing I can do.' MART: 'WB, you're a world-class pilot and you know it. I'm certain there was some kind of mistake.' WB: 'But you aren't getting payed to make those decisions, so it doesn't matter what you think.' MART: 'Hey, don't get mad at me! I'm just trying to help!' WB: 'Yeah, sorry. This is a very touchy subject for me...' MART: 'Atleast they've got you back piloting full passenger jets. That shows they still have confidence in you.' WB: 'It's never going to happen again...never. I will never again have the blood of so many innocent people on my hands.' WB clenches his right hand into a fist. WB: 'People who put their trust in me...and I-' He shuts his eyes and grinds his teeth. MART: 'You okay?' WB: 'I can never forgive myself, but I can prevent it from happening again. I won't let it.' At that moment, the co-pilot walks in. MART: 'Hi there.' WB: 'Ah, you're back...that must've been one major load, eh SCS?' SCS: 'When you gotta go, you gotta go, okay?' MART: 'SCS?' SCS: 'Sailor Chicken Surprise! That's what they call me.' MART: 'And I thought 'WB' was a stupid name.' WB: 'Don't make me get ethic on you.' SCS: 'Friend of yours?' WB: 'Relatively speaking.' MART: 'Thank you.' SCS: 'Well any relative friend of WB's is a relative friend of mine!' MART: 'Is this what Einstein meant when he formulated the theory of relativity?' WB: 'What are we talking about relatives for?' SCS: 'You started it.' SCS sits down at his chair, then glances over the controls. SCS: 'Whoah...' WB: 'What's up?' SCS: 'One of the engines on the right wing is losing fuel faster than it should be...if this keeps up, we're going to be knocked off-balance.' WB: 'Damn...that tastes like unseasoned meatloaf. We're gonna have to make an emergency landing in Hawaii, we can't wing it to Tokyo like this.' MART: 'Is that the only choice? Because we really need to get there as soon as possible...' WB: 'It is unless you wanna climb out on the wing and find out what the p-' At that moment, a large explosion can be heard and the plane is knocked completely off-balance. Instantly, shouting and screaming can be heard from the passenger area. Mart is thrown against one of the walls. SCS: 'Shit!' MART: 'What is it?!' WB and SCS frantically jab at the controls in the shaking plane. WB: 'The right wing's gone out, we're going down FAST!' ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- (^-^) (-_-) (º.º) End of Part 5 (O.O) (¤.¤) (~_~)